David Bowie, Deep Purple and Nilsson Classics Show Up in Trailer for New Bill Murray Movie, ‘Rock the Kasbah’

In Rock the Kasbah, the latest movie by Diner director Barry Levinson, Bill Murray plays a rock manager who takes his only client on a goodwill tour of Afghanistan and is left stranded there. We'll see in a few months if it ranks up there with Murray's recent roles in Wes Anderson's films, but the new trailer makes good use of a couple of rock classics: David Bowie's "Rebel Rebel" and Nilsson's "Jump Into the Fire."

The two-minute clip -- which you can watch above -- cuts scenes from the movie with the songs. Bowie's 1974 hit shows up first, Nilsson's 1972 track follows, and both seem to be used more for plot emphasis than any real connection to the film.

According to the movie's official description, “Rock the Kasbah is the story of Richie Lanz, a rock manager with a golden ear and a taste for talent, who has seen better times. When he takes his last remaining client on a USO tour of Afghanistan, she gets cold feet and leaves him penniless and without his passport in Kabul. While trying to find his way home, Richie befriends a band of misfits and discovers a young girl with an extraordinary voice. Against all odds, Richie will take his last shot at creating an unlikely superstar."

Stick around until the end of the trailer for Murray's impromptu version of another rock 'n' roll classic -- Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water," which the actor manages to mess up. (We're also pretty sure Ritchie Blackmore didn't use a rubab -- the Middle Eastern  instrument Murray is holding -- during his original 1972 recording of the song.)

Rock the Kasbah, which opens on Oct. 23, also stars Bruce Willis, Zooey Deschanel and Kate Hudson.

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